Electric switch.



G. W. GOODRIDGE.

ELECTRIC SWITCH.

APPLICATION FILED FEB,28.1913

1,086,661 Patented Feb 10, 1914.

UNITED STATES PAENT OFFICE GILBERT W. GOODRIDG-E, OF BRIDGEPORT,CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE BRYANT ELECTRIC COMPANY, OF BRIDGEPORT,CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION OF CON- NECTICUT.

Specificationof Letters Patent.

ELECTRIC SWITCH.

Patented Feb. 10, 19114.

To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, GILBERT W. Goonmnon, acitizen of the United Statesof America, and residing at Bridgeport, in the county of Fairfield andState of Connecticut, have invented a certain new and useful Improvementiii-Electric Switches, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to electric switches and particularly to electricswitches for electric lamp sockets, the object of my invention being toprovide an improved mechanism to effect a wide double break while at thesame time being sufficiently compact to be readily placed within thelimited confines of an electric lamp socket and to be operated by aquarter turn of theusual socket key.

In the illustrative embodiment of my invention shown on the accompanyingdrawing, Figure 1 is a vertical section through an electric lamp socket;Figs. 2 and 3 are respectively plan views of the inner faces of the twoinsulating buttons which form the body of the socket; Fig. 4 is asection through the body on the line fr-*4: Fig. 3, and

drawn to a smaller scale; Fig. 5 is a brokenelevation of the socketbody; Fig. 6 is a vertical section through the switch mechanism alone,shown in a different position from that illustrated in Fig. 1; and Fig.7

, is a detached perspective of the switch mechanism.

As here shown the present switch is embodied in an electric lamp socketcomprising the usual cap 10 and shell 11 through which projects theswitch key 12 and within which the usual insulating lining 13 isprovided.

The body of the socket, which may be of any suitable construction ininsulating material, here comprises two buttons A and B of porcelain .orthe like, recessed on their juxtaposed faces to form a switch chamber C.The

upper button A is grooved on its upper face to permit the wires to be.led to the wire terminals 14 and 15 let into recesses on the peripheryof the insulating body.

The terminal 14 is preferably made in tegral with the crescent shapedplate 16 which overlies the base flange of the screw shell terminal 17of the lamp socket and is held in place by the screw bolts 18 which passlongitudinally through both buttons thus holding the latter together inassembled condition as well as securing the shell terminal and wireterminal 1 1 in position thereon.

It will be noted from Fig. 4 that the juxtaposed faces of the buttonsmeet to form ,a separate chamber D for the wire terminal 14 thuselectrically insulating the latter from the switch chamber C andminimizing the danger of arcing and of accidental short circuit throughthe entry of wire beards into the switch chamber.

The other wire terminal 15 is carried by the button B to which it issecured by the screw 19 passing through its base and at the same timeclamping beneath the latter one end of the spring metal switch terminal20. The free end of the switch terminal projects into the switch chamberand faces the cooperating switch terminal 21, also of spring metal. The"terminal 21 enters the switch chamber through the hole 22 in the buttonB, and is preferably made integral with the center lamp contact 23 soboth are secured in position by the single rivet 24.

The-switch mechanism proper is mounted in the switch chamber on a rigidframe 25, here shown substantially in the shape of a figure 4, with thehorizontal arm perforated and threaded to receive the securing screw 26.The uprights 27, 28, are perforated in register to form bearings for theswitch spindle 29 on the outer end of which is secured the operating key12. The hub of the latter abuts the upright 27 on one side, while acotter pin 30 or the like passed through the spindle abuts the otherside of the upright, thus holding the spindle against longitudinaldisplacement in assembled condition. A cam piece 31 is mounted on thesquared end 32 of the spindle so as to rotate therewith. v

The oscillatingis'witch piece 33 is formed as a stirrup pivoted at itsopen end on the lugs 34, on the upright 28 of the frame. In the onposition of the switch, the closed end of the stirrup lies between andelectrically connects the contacts 20, 21 thus establishing the circuitthrough the lamp. It

is thrown to the off position by the com pression spring 35, coiled onthe plunger 36 and hearing at one end through the washer 37 on the crossbar of the stirrup (through the perforation 38 in which the plunger isfree to project) and at the other end against the slide 39, in therecess 10 of which the head 41 of the plunger is pivoted. The slide 39,which bears against the upright 28, has at one end a lugl42 angledthrough the slot 43 in the uprig t and engaged in the cam groove 44 inone face of the cam piece 31. Guide arms 45 on the frame embrace theslide and not only guide the latter, but by reason of the fact that theyalso embrace'the boss 46 on button A, they hold the frame from anytendency to swivel on the screw 26. As the cam is rotated the slide ismoved vertically 'in one direction or the other thereby not onlyincreasing slightly the initial tension of the spring 35, but shiftingthe slide end of the spring past the center of oscillation of the switchpiece and thus subjecting the latter to the pressure of the spring in adirection to throw the switch piece in a direction opposite to itspreceding oscillation. Inasmuch as the travel of the slide frommid-position at one side of the cam groove to either end is-suflicientto impart the requisite vertical. movement to the slide through the axisof oscillation, it is obvious that but a quarter turnbf the key 12 issufficient to operate the switch, and the key thus serves in a generalwa to indicate. the on or off positio'n o the switch. Again, inasmuch asthe cam groove is symmetrical, the key may be turned in either directionto operate the switch. These fea tures are of considerable practicalimportance and constitute a valuable improvement over the mechanismsheretofore employed to operate switch pieces of this character in whichthe key has to be turned a half rotation to insure the operation of theswitch.

Various other embodiments of my invention will readily suggestthemselves and I do not limit myself to the precise structure shown anddescribed.

I claim as my invention 1. An electric switch mechanism comp-rising anoscillating switch piece, a spring fqr imparting a quick throw to thelatter, a switch spindle and means operative upon a quarter turn of thelatter to shift one end of the switch spring past the axis ofoscillation of the switch piece for the purpose described.

2. An electric switch mechanism compris ing an oscillating switch picce,a movable switch spring abutment and a switch spring arranged betweensaid abutment and the switch piece to impart a'quick throw to thelatter, in combination with a switch spindle and means operative upon aquarter turn of the latter to shift said spring abutment past the axisof oscillation of the switch piece, for the purpose described.

3. An electric switch mechanism comprising an oscillating switch piece,a slide abutment, and a switch spring arranged between said switch pieceand slide, in combination with a switch spindle and means operatedthereby for shifting said slide to move the abutting end of saidswitchsprmg past the axis of oscillation of the switch piece.

4. An electric switch mechanism comprising an oscillating switch piece,a slide abut ment, and a switch spring arranged between said switchpiece and slide, in combination with a switch spindle and meansoperative upon the quarter tum of said spindle for shifting said slideto move the abutting end of said switch spring past the axis ofoscillation of the switch piece.

'5. An electric switch mechanism comprising an oscillating switch piece,a spring lying and moving -in a plane at right angles to the axis ofoscillation of said switch piece,

a switch spindle also lying in a plane at an angle to said axis ofoscillation of the switch piece, and means in connection with saidspindle for shifting one end of said switch spring in the plane of thespring fromone side to the other of said axis of oscillation of theswitch piece, for the purpose described.

6. An electric switch mechanism comprisin an oscillating switch piece, aspring lying and moving in a plane at right angles to the axis ofoscillation of said switch piece, a freely rotatable switch spindle alsolying in a plane at an angle to said axis of oscillation of the switchpiece, and means in connection with the rotation in either direction ofsaid spindle for shifting one end of said switch spring in the plane ofthe spring from one side to the other of said axis of oscillation of theswitch piece, for the purpose described.

7. An electric switch mechanism comprising an oscillating switch piece,a slide abutment and a switch spring arranged between said switch pieceand slide, in combination with a switch spindle, a cam thereon and anoperative engagement between said cam and slide for shifting the-latterto move the abutting end of the switch spring past the axis ofoscillation of the switch piece, for the purpose described.

8. An electric switch mechanism comprising an oscillating switch piece,a slide ab'utment and a switch spring arranged between said switch pieceand slide, in combination with a switch spindle, a cam thereon and anengagement between said cam and slide operative upon a quarter turn ofthe switch spindle to shift the slide sufliciently to move the abuttingend of the switch spring past the axis of oscillation of the switchpiece, for the purpose described.

9. An electric switch mechanism comprising an oscillating switch piece,a spring for imparting a quick throw to the latter, a movable abutmentfor one end of said spring, a switch spindle lyin .at' an angle to theaxis of oscillation 0 said switch piece, and cam means on said spindlefor moving said abutment to shift the end of said spring past the axisof oscillation c f the switch piece, for the purpose describec It). Anelectric switch mechanism comprising an oscillating switch piece, aspring for imparting a quick throw to the latter, a movable abutment forone end of said spring, a switch spindle lying at an angle to the axisof oscillation of said switch piece, and cam means on said spindle formoving said abutment and operative upon a quarter turn of the spindle toshift the end of said spring past the axis of oscillation of the switchpiece, for the purpose described.

ll. An electr c switch mechanism comprising an oscillating switch piece,a spring tor imparting a quick throw to the latter, a movable abutmentfor one end of said spring, a. switch spindle lying at an angle to theaxis of oscillation of said switch piece, and cam means on said spindlefor moving said abutment. and operative upon a quarter turn of thespindle in either direction to shift the end of said spring past theaxis of oscillation of the switch piece, substantially as described.

12. An electric switch mechanism comprising an oscillating switch piece,a spring for imparting a quick throw to the latter, an abutment for oneend of the latter moving in a plane at an angle to the axis ofoscillation oi the switch piece, a switch spindle and means inconnection therewith for moving said abutment to shift the end of saidspring past the axis of oscillation of the switch piece, {or the purposedescribed.

13. An electric switch mechanism comprising an oscillating switch piece,a spring for imparting a quick throw to the latter, an abutment for oneend of the latter moving in a plane at an angle to the axis ol' uscillation of the switch piece, a switch spindle and means operative upona quarter turn of said spindle for moving said abutment to shift the endof said spring past the axis of oscillation of the switch piece, for thepur pose described.

14. An electric switch mechanism comprising an oscillating switch piece,a spring for in'iparting a quick throw to the latter, an abutment forone end of the latter moving in a plane at an angle to the axis ofoscillation of the switch piece, a switch spindle and means operativeupon a quarter turn in either direction of said spindle for moving saidabutment to shift the end of said spring past the axis of oscillation ofthe switch piece, for the purpose described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

GILBERT W. (ROUDRIDGE.

\Vitnesses WALTER ABBE, L. H. GROTE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe "Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. 0.

